We all love mac and cheese but now that the weather is getting warmer and our sweaters are put away, it’s time to lighten up our usual dishes. Since cauliflower is the new kale and people are using it for everything, it only made sense to use it for a low-carb substitute for pasta. Mac and cheese becomes cauliflower “mac” and cheese.

I was fortunate to receive some vegan cheese from Chicago Vegan Foods, the makers of Teese. Teese Vegan Cheese is a vegan cheese that actually melts and stretches. It comes in these little oblong packages which you can slice into rounds.

The cheese not only melted but it stretched just the way mozzarella sticks are supposed to.

This time I was holding a package of Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese in my lucky hand. And it was time for Teese to make magic with cauliflower.

Making vegan cheese sauce is so easy. Just melt some vegan butter and then mix an equal amount of flour into it. Add milk, let it thicken. Add the cheese and whisk it all together. Spice it up – I like mustard, hot sauce, paprika, nutmeg plus salt and pepper.

You treat the cauliflower just like pasta. Put it in boiling water and let it cook until it’s al dente or just tender. Mix it with the cheese sauce, put it in a baking dish with some bread crumbs and bake until browned. Or eat it straight out of the pot. 🙂

I mixed some peas into the dish because I have to always have something green and I didn’t have parsley for a garnish.

The baked cauliflower and cheese was creamy and delicious. The cauliflower was tender with some bite for texture and it was so good, no one missed the pasta.

The Teese sauce was cheddar-y and cheesy and smooth. Perfect!

I’m not the only one who thinks so. Do you watch the hit sitcom “Black-ish?” It’s hysterical with Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross.

On the show Tracee plays “Bow” who is a doctor and tries to feed her family healthy food, much to the chagrin of her husband, children and in-laws. In Season 1, Episode 20, she cooks for a dinner party and she makes…..MAC AND TEESE!

Here’s the exchange:

Bow: This is my take on collard greens.Jay: Oh, my goodness! I love me some collard green, girl.Bow: Yeah, but they’re made out of kale. I call them kale-ard greens.Stupid full of iron.Jay: Oh, God.Bow: Oh, I also made mac and cheese.Jay: I love me some mac and cheese.Might put me in the grave, but at least I’m gonna be in the grave smilin’.Bow: Well, nobody’s gonna be dying from my Mac and cheese.It’s vegan.Dre: Of course it is.Jay: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.You got vegan Mac and cheese? But aren’t the main ingredients butter and cheese? Bow: Yeah! [Laughs] But I used olive oil and Teese.Jay: What? Bow: Teese is like cheese, – but it’s actually – Jay: No, no, no. I get it, I get it.

I get it too and I’m so happy, I got to make this dish. It was light and decadent at the same time. It’s definitely going to be popular in the summer rotation of meals.

Check out Chicago Vegan Foods web site and get some of their amazing vegan cheeses. Make this Baked Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese with Peas and maybe have some kale-ard greens on the side. Stupid good. Enjoy!

Heat a saucepan and melt the vegan butter. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is thoroughly incorporated. Allow the flour to cook for a minute. Add the milk to the roux, slowly, whisking continuously. Let cook for 2 minutes as it starts to thicken. Add the Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese and whisk as it melts. Whisk in the mustard and hot sauce. Add the paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to let the sauce cook until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thicker, about 3 minutes. Keep the pot covered and set aside.

Cut the cauliflowers into florets and cut the cores into bite-size pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a few tablespoons of salt and carefully add the cauliflower. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes until just about to get tender. It will cook more later so you want it a bit undercooked. Reserve a cup of cooking water. Drain and rinse the cauliflower with cold water and return it to the pot.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat. You want the sauce to be pourable because it will dry up a bit as it bakes. If the sauce is too thick, mix in a few spoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir in the peas.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the cauliflower and cheese to the baking dish. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. If you want it browner, put it under the broiler for just 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the dish to cool for at least 15 minutes (I know, it’s hard) so it can set before serving.

Heat a saucepan and melt the vegan butter. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is thoroughly incorporated. Allow the flour to cook for a minute. Add the milk to the roux, slowly, whisking continuously. Let cook for 2 minutes as it starts to thicken. Add the Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese and whisk as it melts. Whisk in the mustard and hot sauce. Add the paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to let the sauce cook until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thicker, about 3 minutes. Keep the pot covered and set aside.

Cut the cauliflowers into florets and cut the cores into bite-size pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a few tablespoons of salt and carefully add the cauliflower. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes until just about to get tender. It will cook more later so you want it a bit undercooked. Reserve a cup of cooking water. Drain and rinse the cauliflower with cold water and return it to the pot.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat. You want the sauce to be pourable because it will dry up a bit as it bakes. If the sauce is too thick, mix in a few spoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir in the peas.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the cauliflower and cheese to the baking dish. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. If you want it browner, put it under the broiler for just 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the dish to cool for at least 15 minutes (I know, it’s hard) so it can set before serving.

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About Rhea

Hi! I am a vegan and a strong animal advocate for the past 10 years. Becoming vegan is the best thing I have ever done in my entire life. Every being deserves to live their life in peace and safety. When I became vegan, there were no places in my Bronx neighborhood to eat so I had to learn to cook, mostly from watching cooking shows on TV. That led to the creation of The "V" Word blog which focuses on vegan versions of favorite, familiar foods. Any food can be made vegan and if you can have the foods you love, the foods you crave, the foods you grew up with, all in a compassionate, cruelty-free way, why wouldn't you?
Born and bred in The Bronx, I now live upstate where I run the only vegan gift shop in Woodstock. Woodstock Reveries is a vegan, Boho shop with Gifts that Give Back to Animal Rescues and Sanctuaries. I share my life with a rescued Westie mix named Benoni and a rescued husband named Tom who went on the vegan journey with me. It is my hope that I can spread the "V" Word to bring more compassion into the world.
There are several TVW e-cookbooks and a Vegan Haggadah that are available for purchase at Woodstock Reveries and The "V" Word Cookbook Preview is available for free upon request. I have also written hundreds of articles for One Green Planet.
Enjoy the recipes and please help us help animals by shopping at Woodstock Reveries at https://woodstockreveries.com

Welcome to The ‘V’ Word

Hi, I'm Rhea and I've been vegan almost 10 years. My goal is to promote veganism, help save animals and fill bellies with lots of delicious cruelty-free foods.

My specialty is making vegan versions of favorite, familiar dishes. Because if you can have the foods you grew up with, the foods you always loved, the foods you crave in a healthier and compassionate way, why wouldn't you?